6. MUD – Directed by Jeff Nichols

At this point, we don’t know a whole lot about the Cannes Film Festival bound “Mud” beyond the director, the cast, and a brief plot synopsis (“a drama centered on two teenage boys who encounter a fugitive and pact to help him escape from an island in the Mississippi”). But what more do you need to know? It’s the new film from Jeff Nichols, whose absolutely devastating TAKE SHELTER was one of the best movies of last year, and that cast he’s assembled includes Michael Shannon, Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Paulson, Sam Shepard, and one Matthew McConaughey. No release date yet, but with that creative pedigree it’ll surely have one soon. I bet it premieres by the end of 2012 or my name is Mud.